Get in touch with the local racing pigeon men,theyl be glad to give you there surplus stock free at the end of there seasons and theyre healthy,when theyve been culled leave them to cool for hours then just freeze them before u use them,atb salty

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listen always youre never to old to learn ,:yawinkle:

I'm again surprised by the 'fear' of the UK people to use pigeon.
It's one of the best sources of food for hawks. In the wild pigeon is a major part of the prey.

I get my pigeons from racing pigeon people.
They supplie me with their selection end of season: older birds who have been racing or ex-breeders. Also I get in October their extra young birds, who were 'produced' to award the male racing birds. Especially those young not even hard penned birds are fantastich during the moult.

I check every bird by looking in their beak to check trichomonas.
Then when killed, I let them cool down.
I cut of legs, head and tear away the taiil feathers.
Then I freeze then feathered, because the meat will stay fresh this way.
Then the pigeons are frozen for minimum one month.
Feeding: since I only have two birds, I just pluck them, takes one minute per pigeon. Take away the crop, since the seeds inside will give a lot of cleaning of the mews.
I feed the complete pigeon, the soft parts are also good for the hawks.

And with hunting, we tear of a pigeonbreast including wing. This is really perfect to recall the hawk, he can have two or three small snaps from the soft meat and you can easily take away the breasted wing to put in your vest.
The rest of the pigeon is the final reward end of the day (supposed you don't fly the next day).

I'm again surprised by the 'fear' of the UK people to use pigeon.
It's one of the best sources of food for hawks. In the wild pigeon is a major part of the prey.

I get my pigeons from racing pigeon people.
They supplie me with their selection end of season: older birds who have been racing or ex-breeders. Also I get in October their extra young birds, who were 'produced' to award the male racing birds. Especially those young not even hard penned birds are fantastich during the moult.

I check every bird by looking in their beak to check trichomonas.
Then when killed, I let them cool down.
I cut of legs, head and tear away the taiil feathers.
Then I freeze then feathered, because the meat will stay fresh this way.
Then the pigeons are frozen for minimum one month.
Feeding: since I only have two birds, I just pluck them, takes one minute per pigeon. Take away the crop, since the seeds inside will give a lot of cleaning of the mews.
I feed the complete pigeon, the soft parts are also good for the hawks.

And with hunting, we tear of a pigeonbreast including wing. This is really perfect to recall the hawk, he can have two or three small snaps from the soft meat and you can easily take away the breasted wing to put in your vest.
The rest of the pigeon is the final reward end of the day (supposed you don't fly the next day).

Atb, Arnoud

I couln't agree more, on all aspects you did mention. I would like to add : When plucking, remove only the stiff feathers, keep enough soft ones for the casting pellet.
As I read already, do certainly not skin the pigeons or the quails, it is more convenient, but hawk will lack vitamins and feathers to make a pellet.

One can also remove the stiff arm bone from the wing, so the flesh is more easy to eat. Then break the fore arm bones hammering them so the hawk get calcium benefit.

If done so, it is better to cut of the very end of wing, the hand, as it is full of tendons and can get stuck under the tongue of the hawk.

The carcasse and thights can be left together an hammered, after remiving the stiffest bones. It can make a good meal. The stomach cut opened with its inner skin removed along with the intestines to avoid internal parasites.
Be more aware on liver issues and by precaution, not feed head and neck will prevent 85% cases of Trichomonosis and Candida. Sometimes this is tricky as falcons start with head and neck, but being quick to split the wing and breast filet and swap it will distract the bird from those risky parts.
Of course, the amount of pigeon fed to keep a bird of prey will not be as much as a poor food source. Becarefull not to give a full crop or the weight is going to climb high.

Oh yes, as PREVENTION better than cure (obviously death can't be cured), it is crucial to remove V shape bone furcula, the scapula and the coracoid as those will form a triple hook when the breast is splitted apart. Especially if bones are being smashed, the hook then being reduced, becoming very dangerous if swallowed :
It can puncture the hawk's crop and tangle not allowing the casting pellet to be rejected.

Remove fat (yellowish) and rump (pygostyle) as it is not pure flesh and would not benefit the hawk's flying weight.

Again, this is important if bones being smashed : Humerus being stiff, splinters and fragments being dangerously sharp (for the crop), better just disgard the entire bone.

Scapula bone shape is not to trust inside a falcon's crop either.

The worst is the connection humerus/scapula/coracoid as fork/hook. It has killed many birds that could not cast it back.

All this is not essential if the hawk is eating only flesh from the filet only, but sharp hawks in hunting weight tend to swallow anything offered to them.